Monday, December 24, 2012

Royal Babies

Alice C. Linsley

The royal couple William and Kate are going to have a baby next summer and the world rejoices. Bookies are taking wagers on the child's gender and name and people are discussing the prospect of a future king or queen.

Though the government will not be upon this child's shoulders, there is much ado about the birth of this royal baby. The birth of children to royal houses is not like the birth of children to common folk. It never has been.

Heirs to the throne are listed in Genesis 4 and 5. These are the oldest extant king lists, reflecting the Proto-Saharan kingdom builders who united the Upper and Lower Nile at the dawn of the Bronze Age. It was from their lines that the "Seed" of God was expected to be born (Gen. 3:15). They were awaiting a righteous king who would lead the people to immortality.

Rulers were very powerful in those days. Their greatness is recorded in Genesis and in extra-biblical documents. The description of Nimrod in Genesis 10 suggests that he was Sargon the Great who claimed to be born miraculously. However, he died and remained in his grave, thus proving himself to be a mere mortal incapable of leading his people to eternal life.

While people speculate about William and Kate's royal offspring, none expect this ruler to be the savior of his or her people. The child is anticipated to be fully mortal, and unlike millions of commoner babies who are aborted daily, this child will be well protected. Measures are taken to protect potential heirs to the throne. History teaches that royal babies are often the targets of political enemies.

Wise Men who recognized His star in the East brought Him gifts. They were sidereal astronomers who recognized the significance of the conjunction of the king planet (Jupiter) and the king star (Regulus) in the constellation associated to Judah.

Herod's attempt to kill the royal child confirms that his Wise Men knew the prophesy concerning Messiah's birth place in the ancient Horite settlement of Bethlehem (1 Chronicles 4:4). Angels announced to the shepherd descendants of the Horites that the promise God made to their ancestors in Eden was fulfilled in that royal city.

Angels guided and protected the holy family because their lives were in danger. The newborn King of Israel was so great a threat to the government that He was safer in Egypt and more honored in Tyre than He ever was in Jerusalem.

This Christmas consider the evidence for Jesus as the Holy One promised of the Father and spread the Good News of His coming in the flesh.